UB Athletics Frequently Asked Questions

What Division and Conference is UB Athletics associated with?
The Bulls are a Division I-A member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), competing at the highest level of intercollegiate athletics. Buffalo is a member of the prestigious Mid-American Conference, the second-oldest conference in the nation.

What schools compete in the Mid-American Conference?
Full member schools include Akron, Ball State, Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Miami (OH), Northern Illinois, Ohio, Toledo and Western Michigan. Affiliate members include Temple in football, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) in men's tennis and Missouri State University (formerly known as SMS) in field hockey.

Are all of UB's athletic programs Division I now that football has moved up to Division I-A?
Actually, all of UB's athletic programs have been Division I since the 1991-92 season and have competed in the East Coast Conference (1991-93), the Mid-Continent Conference (1994-97) and now the Mid-American Conference. Football moved to Division I-AA in 1993 and moved to Division I-A in the fall of 1999.

What is the history of UB Athletics affiliation with different conferences?
This is not UB's first foray into major college athletics. The Bulls competed at different times at the major college level in football, men's basketball, ice hockey and baseball. The UB football team competed at the highest level of football until 1970 when the program was dropped fom 1971-77. From football's return in 1977 until 1989 the Bulls competed at the Division III level before beginning their "Run To Division I."

Do the men's and women's teams both have the same nickname?
Yes. Both teams are known as the Bulls, which has been the University nickname for men's teams since 1931 when it switched from the "Bisons." The women's teams at UB were referred to as the "Lady Blues" during the mid-1970's and were known as the "Royals" from 1977-97 before the athletic department unified the sports programs as the Bulls.

Is the University at Buffalo the same as Buffalo State?
No. Buffalo State is a Division III institution that does not offer athletic scholarships. The University at Buffalo is short for the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, the flagship of the State University of New York system. The University at Buffalo is New York's premier public center for graduate and professional education and the state's largest and most comprehensive public research university.

How many sports does UB offer?
UB currently offers 20 sports: football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, women's volleyball, wrestling, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's indoor and outdoor track and field and women's rowing.

UB is known as a great academic institution. How do its student-athletes fare?
UB is a great academic institution, one of only 62 institutions in the nation who are members of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). Over 40 percent of UB's student-athletes have been named UB Scholar Athletes (by virtue of posting a GPA of 3.0 or better) consistently each semester over the past 10 years.

When did baseball and softball join the MAC?
Baseball and softball played a full Division I schedule in the spring of 2000 and began competing in the Mid-American Conference in the spring of 2001. The University at Buffalo now competes in the MAC in 19 of its 20 sports (with the exception of women's rowing which is not sponsored by the MAC).

How many scholarships does UB offer?
UB currently offers over 300 full or partial athletic scholarships.

Do students have to pay to attend UB athletic events?
No. UB students with valid ID get in free to all athletic events on campus.

Can I use Alumni Arena to work out?
Yes you can. Alumni Arena's state-of-the-art facilities are open to all UB students as well as the general public. Call the UB Recreation and Intramural department at 716-645-2286 for more information.